Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

I went and checked out a new Himalayan. I really dig that bike. The new Bear 650 was pretty dang cool too. It had such a old-school look to it.

 

Bear 650 is a SEXY bike imo.

We have a Royal dealer just up the road from me and man.... That parallel twin 650 sounds amazing.

If I had room and a use case for another street bike that Bear is up near the top, always wanted a bike with a vibe like that

 

We finally reverted my WR250R to stock ride height, looking forward to riding offroad again and not struggling to get my feet down. (I'm 6'2)

Did a rear shock on a KRL650 today as well, checked sag on both.

Seems like sag is 1/3 suspension travel loaded, we set mine 3" sag light load, letting it go 4" when heavy load on 10" of travel.

Good times. Hate winter.

 

Kawasaki teased a new 2 stroke coming during sx

 

I wonder if it will be an MX bike given where they’ve teased it? I’d really like to see them put out a modern KDX 200. I have sellers remorse after selling my KTM 200XC.

 

I doubt it. I think that was probably the easiest way to catch an audience

 

What's the consensus on handlebar vibrations? Looking to get a little more height on my KLX, and there's 10,000 options that all come into play.

OEM is steel, is aluminum typically more or less vibration? On my MTB I run carbon, has nice flex compared to aluminum and is ehybonwent that route. Not an option from what I see for moto.

Currently looking at ODI Flight series, can't seem to easily obtain Renthal bars anywhere around me.

From there, would a 7/8" diameter be more or less vibration than the oversize 1 1/8"? Consensus on MTB forms is 7/8" is less stiff, which translates to less vibration.

Another thought is the rise / height. Does a high rise / bend bar offer more flex than a straighter / less rise bar? Considering which overall bend to choose vs a simple bar riser (or adapter of going to 1 1/8").

Bar weights? OEM has weights inside it, heard negatives to removing them when installing handgaurds. Could always JB weld some fishing lead weights inside, or bolt on external ones such as those from Bark Busters.

Last one! Grips. Initially went with ODI Rogues as they're what I use for MTB. Only to find that the moto version is less thick (OD) than the moto version. 33.5mm / 32mm. The plastic throttle tube was pretty shit too really. Currently looking at going back to OEM tube, and MTB Oury V2 push ons, claimed 33mm OD, most I can find for moto. Open to other brands if anyone has experience, don't really feel like being the guy showing up to a parts store with vernier calipers to confirm sizing, why moto hides this detail compared to MTB is nuts.

 

Really gotta work with the harmonics of the bike, some bikes like more weight some bikes like less weight just depends on the frequency of the vibrations.

As far as bar size, Always stuck with stock diameter profile on my stuff. Protaper pillow tops are my go to for dirtbike stuff. A bar with more length due to rise will have more flex just by nature of length. Never used lock on mtb style stuff on motos, too much weight to sling around to have a grip potentially slip IMO.

Have you considered keeping the stock bars and just getting a set of risers. I have a set of risers on both my WR450 and Super tenere with their stock bars and it made a world of difference.

 

Aluminum bars will flex more. 1 1/8 bars ftw. There are carbon bars but they are expensive. You can always looks at dampened mounts if needed.

Keep flags if you want the most flex and dont use wrap arounds.

All i run are odi lock-ons

 

I had a friend that had a kdx200, it was a great trail bike. I wish I had one today.

 

Lots of ref from others on those pillow tips, any chance you can grab a rough measurement in diameter on an installed set?

Staying OEM and adding risers is the cheapest option. But if I can get less vibration with different bars then would like to go all in sonto speak. Width is negligible, 750mm vs preferred 780mm, just the height would be a bit nicer. Been keeping an eye out in the classifieds for some risers, most are 1 1/8" so far though.

Appreciate the notes on flex, why the larger diameter in your mind?

Regarding flags vs wraps, would they subtract that much flex by tying in the end of the bar back to the mid area? Heard it mentioned a few times on here and other forums, seems it is definitely a thing.

 

The 1 1/8 are stronger in the bends but flex more also because they dont have the crossbar.

Wraps remove flex because they tie the bend and end of the bar together

 

Just noticed where the mount is, I thought it was still within the control section. That changes that as an option also, thanks for the heads up on that.

 

I'll grab a measurement for you in an hour or so!

 

Afaik the rogues are the largest moto grips. You can buy the foam things that are oversized too

 

This is what I had seen the other day on it

https://motocrossactionmag.com/breaking-news-kawasaki-to-develop-a-new-kx-two-stroke/

How true

 

Taking the TW200 to the woods for playtime.

 

I want one of those, problem is I have no one to ride with off road. I have a friend that rides but he's an Enduro racer and is way above my level. I'm just an old dude that likes to trail ride. He's a pinned throttle kind or rider.

 

Almost new pillow tops on two different bikes. 32mm OD

 

Thanks, appreciate the check! Looks like I'll be going with original plan.